UT Boosts Space Force Threat Detection & Response

University of Texas at Austin partners with U.S. Space Force to develop space domain awareness tools and technologies.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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The University of Texas at Austin is set to become the first academic institution to work directly with the U.S. Space Force to detect, analyze and counter threats in space to U.S. national security in near-real time. A seed fund grant from the Texas Space Commission will establish a Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Tools, Applications, and Processing (TAP) Lab, which will pair the private sector with UT's leading research expertise and computing power to augment national security.

Why it matters

Space domain awareness is critical for monitoring objects orbiting the Earth, including tracking and cataloging both active and inactive satellites and space debris, as well as detecting potential threats from adversaries. By establishing the SDA TAP Lab, UT Austin will play a key role in strengthening national defense and long-term space resilience.

The details

The SDA TAP Lab will leverage UT's leading academic computing power, including the Texas Advanced Computing Center, to enable secure processing of large-scale orbital datasets, simulation of complex orbital behaviors, and evaluation of space domain awareness algorithms. The lab will also serve as a multidisciplinary training environment for students across engineering, computer science, policy, law and business, allowing them to work directly with industry and government partners on mission-relevant problems.

  • The SDA TAP Lab will begin operations immediately, with initial cohorts helping shape the research agenda and technical capabilities.
  • The seed funding of $9.3 million from the Texas Space Commission's Space Exploration & Aeronautics Research Fund will support lab construction, research and development, and up to six cohort cycles of industry teams to develop technologies aligned with U.S. Space Force priorities.

The players

Moriba Jah

A professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin, and the lead researcher on the grant.

Gwen Griffin

The chair of the Texas Space Commission board.

U.S. Space Force

The military service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for space warfare.

Texas Advanced Computing Center

UT Austin's leading academic computing power that will be leveraged by the SDA TAP Lab.

Texas Space Commission

The state agency that provided the $9.3 million seed funding grant to establish the SDA TAP Lab at UT Austin.

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What they’re saying

“The SDA TAP Lab anchors Texas within the national space security defense research ecosystem. This effort allows us to develop and rigorously test scalable analytic methods to detect and track objects in orbit, then provide those capabilities to operational partners.”

— Moriba Jah, Professor, Cockrell School of Engineering (Mirage News)

“The expansion of the SDA TAP Lab into Texas represents a significant step forward for the Space Force and for the state. SDA TAP Lab Texas brings together academic research, industry innovation and advanced computing in a way that strengthens national defense and long-term space resilience.”

— Gwen Griffin, Chair, Texas Space Commission board (Mirage News)

What’s next

The SDA TAP Lab will begin operations immediately, with initial cohorts helping shape the research agenda and technical capabilities.

The takeaway

By establishing the SDA TAP Lab, the University of Texas at Austin is poised to play a crucial role in strengthening national defense and long-term space resilience through its partnership with the U.S. Space Force and leveraging of its leading academic research and computing capabilities.